Fanny Simonsen

Francoise "Fanny" Simonsen (* 1835 , † September 19, 1896 in Melbourne ) was an Australian singer ( soprano ) and music teacher .

Simonsen made her Melbourne debut in 1865 in a concert with her husband, the violinist Martin Simonsen . After a year-long concert tour, she appeared with William Saurin Lyster's opera troupe and Armes Beaumont , alternating with Lucy Escott and Henry Squires in Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera L'Africaine . In the next few years she appeared in operas such as Lucia di Lammermoor , La sonnambula , Les Huguenots and Faust . In 1871 she played the title role in Jacques Offenbach's The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein very successfully in Melbourne .

In 1873 she went to Italy and in 1877 returned to Melbourne with her own Simonsen Opera Company , where she opened the season at St. George's Hall with Aimé Maillart's The Hermit's Bell . In the next few years she and her company staged more than 70 opera productions, including La Fille de madame Angot by Charles Lecocq , Norma by Vincenzo Bellini , Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi and Le prophète by Meyerbeer.

In 1884 Simonsen retired from the stage and devoted himself to teaching. The Simonsens had eleven children, several of whom also became known as singers, including Frances Saville (Francoise Martina Simonsen), Leonore Simonsen and Jules Simonsen . In the next generation, Frances Alda , a daughter of Leonore Simonsen, became a successful singer.

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personal data
SURNAME	Simonsen, Fanny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Simonsen, Francoise
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Australian singer and music educator
DATE OF BIRTH	1835
DATE OF DEATH	September 19, 1896
Place of death	Melbourne